After the Fact: Magical Ethics

[@nicwaterfill2259]

Anakin: Can you help save my wife? Emperor Papentine: Sure, can you kill some kids for me? Anakin: Could I Turns on lightsaber

[@fictionfan0]

+Nic Waterfill I am ashamed to say that I actually cracked a smile at that. Darn you, Silver! You deserved that orange head.

[@nicwaterfill2259]

+fictionfan0 but now Silver is bruised!

[@fictionfan0]

Nic Waterfill Injury to insult.

[@AzureIV]

+Nic Waterfill I laughed.

[@Arella17]

+Nic Waterfill That was the scene that killed any sympathy they tried to give Anakin in the prequels.

[@redpandacoding]

I was just thinking that, perhaps the ponies once wanted to make the world pleasant, nice weather all year, no winter, no cold nights... and by that, they destroyed the balance of nature for good. Now they just *have* to keep on shaping nature, because it cannot exist on its own any more. Left alone, something like the Everfree happens.

[@iceluvndiva21]

I was thinking something along those lines too

Taking a steady foundation and replacing it with a house of cards.

[@benberlin57]

I've read stories where Discord did things like this, but yeah, I can definitely see this being a thing.

[@KororaPenguin]

"I had good intentions. We both know which road is paved with those." -- Mussolini, Niven and Pournelle's _Inferno_

[@ScribblerProductions101]

Oh my good gracious ... Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors ... my childhood! You, sirrah, just gained a squillian cool points for knowing your Straczynskis from your Larsons.

[@aurorathearcticwolf4243]

Scribbler Productions WAT ITSA YOU! OMG OMG OMG I 😘 UR VIDS :3

[@heartofthewild680]

What the heck did I just read?

[@jacksquatt6082]

7:20 It isn't exactly true that Nightmare Moon was canonically simply "zapped good." There was that one line in the beginning about "the stars would set her free." While we *did* see a literal constellation free Nightmare Moon from her imprisonment on the moon, we also saw a different set of stars enact a different type of liberation. Consider that the stars on Twilight's cutie mark are to represent herself and each of her friends. Now consider that Twilight and her friends were the ones who fought and defeated Nightmare Moon, freeing Luna from her bitterness and rage. *They* were the stars who set her free. It wasn't that Luna was turned good against her will, but rather she was freed, awoken from a Nightmare that had lasted a thousand years. Since these were the first two episodes, the only ones Faust is credited for personally writing, I don't think this was just a stumbling coincidence. I think Faust deliberately inserted the double meaning into the prophecy about the Mare in the Moon.

[@WyrdFayth]

+jack squatt THANK YOU SO MUCH WOW YES GOOD. I was aware on some level that NMM was a separate entity from Luna but had never especially pieced together that the "redemption" was more banishment of that separate entity until now. And I had not noticed the double meaning AT ALL. Absolutely fantastic.

[@k.o.t.o.r.5119]

+jack squatt you are right. Sunset Shimmer was a similar case. They didn't just zap her good. The moment Sunset put on the crown, she felt the corruptive magic flowing and expending inside herself, changing her very being, caused by her own selfish attitude. In fact, it was so painful to her, that she began shedding tears right before her transformation, already showing at this point that she regretted her decision to abuse the element of magic. "What have I done?" or "What have I gotten myself into?" comes to mind as valid thoughts for her in that moment. After the corruptive magic taking hold of her mind and body, of course she wasn't able to free herself from it, much like Luna's body and mind being dominated or possed by her nightmare persona/entity. Point is, even before her transformation, Sunset was already aware of what awful being she would become, powerful enough to cause real life threatening damage, and immidiately regretted her decision, hence the teary eyed expression on her face shortly before she transformed. She needed Twilight and the other elements to cut of the bad magic in control of her, in order to return to her normal human self. The magic liberated her from something her actual self didn't want to become, so afterwards she was in tears having lived through this experience, with no excuse for it to have happened but her own faulty. And of course after pulling that show, she realized that it would become ever so much harder to correct her mistakes and re-earn the trust of others, not mentioning making them her friends. On the contrary though, the 'reformation spell' supposedly to be used on Discord, as well as the spell changing the bats or the parasprites, is the true meaning of "just zapping them good", forcing the casters will on other creatures, robbing them of their own choice. Discord would not have gotten a chance to reflect on himself, and what his choices would cause, but rather he would have been forced to repeat "I am good now" like a good parrot thanks to magical means of another. By logic, the star wars quote applied to a spell, would be equal to dictating the Fruit Bats to take a break from eating apples, and rethink their own nature, or choice depending on their level of sentience, if they really need to further consume apples. In opposition to that, Twilight's actual spell changes their entire nature, forcing them to heed the will of the caster, undeniably. This is no lightside move of any kind, this is acting prematurely without considering cause and reaction. The results were certainly not what Twilight was expecting. Twilight was lacking a great deal of foresight. She just saw the problem and used the spell as a quick fix, without considering what it might let lose or how it might backfire on her, nor did she really thought about what she would do to the balance of nature through her spell, not even sparing a second thought to the ethics behind it. It becomes even worse if her spell actually made the fruit bats dislike fruits in general, rather then just apples, as I suspected. She'd actually force a species to extinction by forbidding them to eat anything they require to live and survive. Can you imagine how pissed fluttershy would have been of her, if that was the case? Oohohohoho.

[@carrot708]

I don't see Nightmare Moon as a seperate entity. Nightmare Moon is Luna, corrupted by her own negative emotions but still Luna, with Luna's mind and emotions and goals. The story tells us that she refused to lower the moon, and planned to make Night last forever, *before* she became Nightmare Moon. Afterwards, her hatred for her sister, magnified and corrupted, led to her actually trying to hurt her as seen in Princess Twilight. That's why the first thing she did when purified was hug her sister and apologize to her and her alone. And why her motives for becoming Nightmare Moon are still there as shown in A Royal Problem and Between Dark And Dawn.

[@Sleepyshy712]

Well yeah and more in the season we learn that nightmare moon is the negative feelings of being shunned away, and probably years of keeping it under raps from the pony, and maybe her sister.

[@perrilewis180]

Yeah I saw the elements remove the bad. In the comics the dark magic of nightmare moon still lived in the moon's inhabitants. Causing the creatures still obey what is left of her. Even causing Rarity to be taken over. A comic arc that needs to be a special

[@destendgem]

9:31 Twilight, you just proved his point. Twilight, Silver won this one. He had the moral high ground. Well done (!)

[@dh599]

We haven't seen cadence use that love spell since. It's possible since she was younger she was a bit more over eager and didn't understand what she was doing as well. Maybe since that time she has matured and no longer uses such magic willy nilly.

[@KororaPenguin]

Maybe she has some serious regrets regarding a use of that spell that went horribly wrong.

[@HTFFanOfFlaky]

To be fair, Cadence was not fully matured. Twilight saw it as heroic because she was even younger. Children tend to see the world in black and white. It's only insane if you're an adult.

[@insanityofmine7569]

Good point.

[@katecastreviews4639]

Not to mention we haven't seen Cadence use that spell since. It's possible that she grew up and learned to let love come naturally rather then force it wit a spell.

[@koalafromtomorrow5656]

@@katecastreviews4639 Candace was a Pegasus before becoming a Unicron

[@prestonlogan3808]

What's worse about cadence's love spell is that we have no idea if those two ponies were in a relationship, they could have been friends, or even worse, siblings, or even worse parent and child

[@patrickwilkinson2458]

Everything you said in this video reminds me of the conversation in the last episode of Reboot where Bob and the gang have "captured" Megabyte. Megabyte: "So, what now? Deletion?" Bob: "No, just a scan. I don't believe in deletion." Megabyte: "You can't go against your code." Bob: "And neither can you. That's the problem. It's not your fault. You're programmed to be this way. We just got to work out a way to reprogram you. Megabyte: "So, I won't be a virus?" Bob: "That's the plan." Megabyte: "Ah. So, a fate worse than deletion. And they call me a monster." This exchange makes me think about a lot, but to sum up, it's another reason to support your argument against the idea of forced reformation, be it a reform spell or reprogramming.

[@patrickwilkinson2458]

I agree, but they should just give season 4 four or five more episodes for the Megaframe story line and end it there because season 4 only had eight episodes and there would be no reason to continue the story after that. Megabyte is defeated and everyone gets a happy ending.

[@Mizunokage1]

I appreciate the fact that you went back and changed what you did.

[@LadyCeag840]

The after credits scene was perfect! - Sorry, Silver Quill XD

[@VelkanKiador]

+LadyCeag840 Wait there is a after credit scene? Curses, now I have to sit through credits in youtube videos too >_

[@electrothehedgehog-en7vd]

@@VelkanKiador oh you'll get used to it after awhile

[@genius11433]

And videos like these make me glad to have subscribed to this channel. That there are people out there like you and Dr. Wolf who help people think more deeply about things is so heartening. Of course, the humor isn't bad, either. *shakes head* Oh Twilight, I believe that the phrase "don't kill the messenger" is apt here...

[@Babbleplay]

I still remember the webcomic where Cadance cast her love spell on the two arguing ponies, then walked off, only for the two to turn out to be an arguing pair of siblings, and ended up in therapy.

[@Thane36425]

Princess Cadence's power seems more limited than Celestia's or Luna's, but it is more disturbing. Suppose in that one incidence that was not a good relationship that was breaking up, and after Cadence the cycle starts over again? I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was from her that Twilight learned the spell she used on Smartypants. Princess Luna does enter but she seems benign about it, only helping ponies having nightmares and roughing up Pony Kruger. The IDW version also has her fighting real world enemies, and being a real pain to the castle staff. Besides, her power probably also has downsides. Think of all the messed up dreams she's seen, and how many strayed into fanfic territory.

[@hunterofartemis3335]

WACH INK ROSE

[@jacksimpson8529]

Cadence's powers seems disturbingly similar to Queen Chrysalis' abilities, if you think about it. Both of them, essentially, alter the subject's mind to work differently and in ways the subject might not like (certainly not like in QC's case). Chrysalis's brainwashing power forces you to love and serve her. Cadence's love power forces you to love someone else, even if before you were zapped that person/pony was someone you absolutely hated. That scene with her putting that couple back together was a little uncomfortable for me, given that there was no context to that scene and she basically forces the arguing pair back together without resolving any underlying issues they might have that LED them to start arguing. To quote the 'Warp That Aesop' page's description for that flashback (A Canterlot Wedding Part 1): (If you see a couple feuding, stick your nose in and force them to love one another once again. Even if they are complete strangers. It's not like they could have a valid reason to be fighting, or one is an absolute abusive prick and the other has finally worked up the courage to leave after years of physical and emotional abuse, or not lovers at all and rather siblings or something. Use Mind Rape if it's an option.)

[@samm7371]

No joke, when I saw Candaces love spell for the first time, I honestly thought she'd be a villain. Making Shining love her for reasons. Then Chrysalis came along and I went "oh, okay mind rape is cool now. Gotcha"

[@desadograisedrobot515]

Wait... imagine if thorax was something like that. he isn't just a good changeling but a misinformed good changeling. Not really understanding a healthy way to love someone. Thorax would be like a mix between Discord and Starlight. Where he had to be taught love.

[@WhimsicalCreature457]

Commenting on this classic video again to inform that I just recently ordered the entire Earthsea series all contained within a single book and so far I am loving it! ^^

[@HulluRichie]

Much respect for this change!

[@magentascribe7586]

I love how introspective and thoughtful you get on a topic. after Nostalgia critic you are my favorite 'reviewer'(idk if that's what you call yourself).... oh can it. after Nostalgia critic and Markiplier you are my fav youtube person who says words. i've probably watched all of your episodes like 5 times each cause i have a playlist of you running constantly in the background while i'm doing homework. wuv u! ^w^

[@simplifiedspike9702]

Wow... I love that you updated the video to correct yourself on Jerry's gender. That's so nice. I've never seen anyone ever do that when they're wrong on anything.

[@keelanbarron928]

Ehh, it's a past video so i don't think that it should've been updated. (Unless it was made when that was announced.) The only time i think it should be updated is if there is new information to be added.

[@lucasduberger-deret3550]

Nice update! I think the capacity to recognize when you've made a mistake and work towards fixing it is a rare and precious one for online personalities.

[@AntonyCannon]

Tell me your real name, Sparrowhawk.

[@kaicreech7336]

He is the one known as... Hawk Sparrow.

[@Volcodom]

silver this was a wistful wonderful sensitive change. very cool my friend, cool and classy.

[@theprincesspeach94]

Lily also forgets that in many forms of media, magic is not good or evil, just a tool like a blade or bow. Its the person who uses it that makes bad or good

[@themadhatter6519]

Wow, you're a great guy silver, I think it's great that you go to these lengths to ensure that your humor doesn't offend anyone. Keep being such an awesome hippogriff!

[@squirrelknight4878]

What's interesting about this is that with all things considering, Silver-quill didn't have to. A whole lot wouldn't care much to leave an annotation let alone re-upload an edited version. Silver-quill in the end made the effort to give the time and day & that's pretty rad. Would be great if Jerry Peet were to drop by with a thanks. Would encourage this kind of behavior.

[@squirrelknight4878]

+Jack Downie Um... to >"encourage this kind of behavior" But to be real, doubt that Jerry would. Between Jerry Peet & Silver Quill, there's a very clear distinction who's the whiny ass & who's the better/more popular sportsman.

[@squirrelknight4878]

Oh, heh ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Yeah, I know what you mean. It happens.

[@kallicat5740]

I think Jerry Peets did, it's a bit farther down

[@squirrelknight4878]

+Kallicat Yeah, both of our comments show "2 months ago". I've either missed it then or beat Peet to the punch. :D Happy to see the response.

[@jaydracous7132]

Just something to consider; what is Cadence's love magic is a multi-step process. Perhaps she has an extra sensory ability to see true love under the surface, and then casts a spell to help them see it as well. I think the true problem of Cadence's love spell is that it is only gleamed and not explained. I would actually like to see an episode put that in focus but that's not likely to happen unless we get a romance for one of the major characters, and I fear what may come of that. Great video by the way.

[@shadowwriter4538]

What's the difference between this one and the other one; I don't see it for some reason

[@thunderguyer]

+ShadowWriter45 I think the "Wait,is he using a female OC? Yep! Why do you keep drawing these kinds of people? I DON'T KNOW"

[@Peter_Strike]

+ShadowWriter45 The intro thing is shorter. Not sure why that needed an update (?) but whatever.

[@MLPSilverQuill]

+ShadowWriter45 The opening jokes of the original video upset people and it's important to me that my humor not cause others harm. After some thought I changed the dialog and shortened the scene.

[@Thalog]

+MLP-Silver-Quill understandable man. its why i subbed to you. you look for the neutral fun without being insulting. also when are you going to do a collab with lightningbliss? it would be epic!

[@Dysputant]

+MLP-Silver-Quill And I'm offended you removed jokes I liked , in this way you are making me feel bad. Suggesting I liked "bad" stuff. Recuperate and post original video ;)

[@GamerGirlOfGotham]

I'm so impressed with you Silver, seriously. I was one of the few the joke made cringe, I know it wasn't intentional and you'd never be purposely callous (it's entirely possible at the time you hadn't even seen Jerry's video explaining his oc!) and I was just impressed you apologized but to actually take the time and effort to change your video. I am so impressed with you, truly thank you from the bottom of my heart, you've shown some serious maturity here.

[@TheAntiCreator]

silver: she has made me think rarity: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@RBComics]

It quite amazing how many old obscure cartoon reference you seem to know of. damn.

[@gracec.2742]

I don't really think you needed to change and re upload the video over one joke. It wasn't said out of malice and I doubt you were supposed to be taken seriously. But I can see why you did. And just seems like a sweet gesture over all. You are such a good guy greg silver quill, you don't need a shoulder angel to guide you. Maybe you could teach your devils a think or two about kindness.

[@gracec.2742]

He also left out the joke comment about the "male using a female avatar" He edited that entire beginning. He is just an understanding dude.

[@LvXGameMaster]

+NaokoTheDragonKnight *Slow clapping* Bravo. The "Biology matters more than Psychology" argument. An intelligent argument that looks at all the biological reasoning and not the psychological. Using "Thoughts don't matter" as an argument. Clearly you are a prized intellectual.

[@gracec.2742]

LvXGameMaster NaokoTheDragonKnight Is arguing on youtube going to solve anything either way? Probably not. You both are trying to change each other's minds by undermining each others arguments and asserting that you are correct. That has never worked ever. You are each going to continue to believe and feel the way you want to. Naoko referring to people as there biological gender is not oppressive, maybe a little insensitive, but that isn't the same as prejudice. And people like LvXGameMaster and myself who like to refer to people the way they want to be referred to doesn't mean we are under the thumb of political correctness necessarily. People can get caught up with being PC sometimes especially when the media is in a frenzy about it. But is it hard to believe that people actually care about another humans feelings enough to consider something like what pronouns to call someone? And does using your heart mean that we are without a mind? Don't call others intolerant unless you are prepared to tolerate others views. The original post was just a compliment to the creator for doing what he decided was right for him, expressing his opinion. This isn't the place for a Trans rights war 

[@dragon200ism]

After some of the things jerry has said and supported it's a gesture undeserved

[@Carzeyday]

+Miles Bockelman Ironic, don't you think?

[@MrMarinus18]

I can understand where you're coming from though I'm much younger. The thing is that I often feel like I'm not allowed to feel bad about my failures anymore. It's a freedom that doesn't seem to exist anymore.

[@k.o.t.o.r.5119]

"Can you help save my wife?" "Maybe, can you kill some kids for me?" "Could I?" *Light saber ignites in front of younglings* I just fell over right there, had to stop the video having trouble breathing, cuz I choked on my drink. The coughing wasn't enjoyable either, but at list I could still chuckle a bit in between. Was worth it though.

[@addisondrake733]

Anakin Skywalker is my favorite Star Wars character but i really didn't like that part

[@JV-Decker-RetireDisAcctSoon]

10:20 When you consider how often Silver gives Celly a hard time, (according to his videos), one can only imagine just how _cathartic_ this event was.

[@StargazerAeons]

Wow, it takes guts to remove stuff like that! That's why you are one of my favorite youtubers to date Silver! Well, that and your humor, I suppose that helps too.

[@dakotasan8719]

Yeah, takes real guts to change a joke that didn't hurt or attack anyone in any way shape or form. Seriously if Silver hadn't changed it, Jerry probably would've made a whole video dedicated to calling Silver-Quill a Nazi sympathizer.

[@theprofessionalwizard9846]

Much obliged for the thoughtful edits and quite agreed on the sentiments of free will and the consequences of magic.

[@Tabbimura]

8:29 Imagine that these two poies are sibling.

[@Cultono]

+Jarosław Sobiński (Worldwatcher) Think there is a comic on DeviantArt where she make that mistake.

[@Tabbimura]

Cultono I referenced just that. Hmm, do you have per chance a link to that comic? I don't remember it's title.

[@Cultono]

+Jarosław Sobiński (Worldwatcher) Sorry, I do not.Couln't find it. V_V

[@Sleepyshy712]

That make this worst

[@frankspick7544]

found it sta.sh/0kpvln6t6le also heres one were the two were neighbors that were married to other ponys www.deviantart.com/moenkin/art/All-you-need-is-love-603583742

[@MsTanvar]

Love that Earthsea shout out! It also gives a very deep lesson about thinking before acting.

[@MoonbeamPony]

Well, I don't believe you needed to update the video, as despite my own squawking, I wasn't particularly offended - it was a simple mistake. But I do appreciate that you took the time and effort to do so, and even changed it to use her preferred gender pronoun. It shows a certain integrity. So, +10 apples to you, sir.

[@kintsuki99]

Amazing how a year after and this video is still relevant.

[@DKPaladinX]

Mahtan Amandil because it pretty much is a timeless subject. Power and responsibility ;)

[@naterivers6107]

I don't feel like Twilight actually did anything all that bad by changing the vampire fruit bats. She didn't remove their desire to eat period, just apples. Though with that said does that mean she could broaden it to don't eat at all? Don't breath? Don't speak? Yeah, this is why the Imperious Curse is forbidden.

[@ryancarson6962]

Nate Rivers but animals are born having to eat certain things with the vampire fruit bats they're made to eat apples they can't adapt that quickly.

[@yasminafarih3681]

Yeah Twilight' could've exterminated the species.

[@Gungelion]

Thanks to Jerry in my head that voice is now the official voice of the vampire bats

[@grahambcp]

I lol'd at the original and can't recall anything too edgy, but it's up to Silver to decide what he's comfortable with and to balance his views and the views of his audience.

[@AngelDust666]

Silverquill your reviews are hilarious. love watching them

[@magnusprime962]

I don't get the outrage over this change. SQ's only trying to be a nice guy and not make a joke that might offend people who don't know the context of the situation. Let me put it another way. If he were to make a joke about a bald person, only to find out later that that person was bald because they were going through cancer treatment, wouldn't the right thing be to apologize for his joke? This is pretty much the same thing. He made a mistake, and this is his apology. He didn't have to go this far, but I think it speaks to his character that he took this great of a measure.

[@theflotingheadproduc]

That was a delightful video!

[@EXRazeBurn]

Well, a couple points. First off, as an egalitarian I can say I'm more than a little disappointed in some of my fellow commenters. Whether Jerry Peet identifies as a member of the LGBT community or not is completely irrelevant, and a potentially misused pronoun doesn't change that. This was about addressing one critic's comments about MLP:FiM (along with a light-hearted insult) via a well thought out rebuttal. Nothing more, nothing less. And kudos to you Silver for maintaining your usual level of professionalism. Secondly, I'd like to point out that while it's true that magic might be used as a solution in Equestria on a fairly frequent basis, I disagree that it is ALWAYS a simple solution and that unless it backfires it presents too simple a solution. Take the weather/seasons for example. While I can't prove it one way or another, since seasons are the direct consequences of the positions of a planet in it's elliptical orbit around a star, and much of it's weather stems from it's direct interaction with it's star as well, I've often believed that some kind of magical disaster befell the planet that Equestria is found on, ceasing it's orbit of it's star and potentially it's rotational spin, requiring the magical beings of the world to prevent it's ecological destruction. This would EXPLAIN why although the Equines do control the weather (and the rising of the Sun and Moon in Celestia and Luna's cases), they can't simply alter these behaviors on a whim, or the planet would suffer. As you said Silver, choices have consequences. Which leads me into my final point. I DO actually believe Twilight has been learning her lessons from past mistakes. Let's consider a similar situation (the parasprites) versus this one with the bats. When faced with the parasprite situation Twilight hastily tried to stop them from eating food, not contemplating the consequences of such a spell (and with disastrous results). In the case of the fruit bats, Twilight researched a specific spell designed to make the bats no longer desire ONE type of fruit. These are FRUIT bats, not APPLE bats, and multiple options are left to them as a direct consequence. They could begin consuming ANOTHER type of fruit in Ponyville, they could migrate away from Ponyville entirely, and frankly they have an AVERSION to apples by the nature of the spell, the spell won't stop them from eating should they be desperate (to the best of our knowledge). This spell was MUCH more thought out in terms of consequences than the act against the parasprites, and had fluttershy not been caught in the crossfire would have worked in its entirety. Frankly "I" thought that the lesson of the story became quite weak by reversing the spell AND giving a whole section of Applejack's orchard over to the creatures as a sanctuary. To be honest having it work and have the bats move away and never be mentioned in the story AGAIN; focusing exclusively on the "flutterbat" story arc would have been better. But of course that's simply my opinion.

[@dove1941]

Princess Celestia at the near end of the video. I laughed. GODDANGIT Celestia.

[@Nerdosoidexd]

you should consider voiceovers, youre good at it

[@diamondwarrior2003]

once again silver, your reference humor makes me laugh.

[@TatsurouKaos]

Also, as far as your issue with Cadence... Keep in mind that it's been documented frequently in the show that fighting amongst ponies can awaken/unlock all sorts of horrors and the like (Discord, Windigos, etc.). It could very well be that, at some point, a law was passed by popular vote specifically allowing the Princesses to act in situations like that to prevent such things.

[@theenderdestruction2362]

Yes cause two ponies are gonna summon a windegio and I still have a hard time calling them that their more like ghost horses

[@kallistiravenhurst5232]

congratulations, you have given me nightmare fuel in the form of equestrian thought police... [that is a thought i am both intrigued and horrified by]

[@benberlin57]

Interesting idea but if that was the case then the Mane Six alone would have summoned Windigos many times over for their squabbling and other such things. I personally prefer the idea that Cadence doesn't force love, but simply acts as a guide/councilor so to speak. Granted that clip I will agree that perhaps listening to what the issue was before casting the spell or getting permission would have been ideal, but that's a discussion for another day.

[@Thegiddyowl]

Thank you very much for this, Silver. :)

[@redemption2]

my original question still stands, Silver, where does the Izanami jutsu from Naruto Shippuuden fit into this moral gray area? Its a reform spell, but they have to chose, at least forcibly.

[@MLPSilverQuill]

+Dulcet Tone Ah yes, I never did answer. It's tough because you stay trapped in the jutsu if you can't forgive yourself. So one could live the rest of their lives trapped if they can't forgive. It offers a choice, but at the same time narrows that choice to only two options. Plus side, it gets the person to truly face their issues. Down side, it's too open to abuse. It seems like a very 11th-hour tactic that has to be used in extremely dire situations.

[@mandragoradravgis]

+MLP-Silver-Quill Sounds about right. After all, the Izanami also ends the light in the eye that uses it.

[@redemption2]

+Mandragora Dravgis But so does the Izanagi. I can't but help feel like it's one of the lowest stakes trump cards ever. You can only use the Izanagi twice before you go blind... so... what's the point in the Izanami existing? None of the Uchiha clan had tried to steal the others' eyes like Danzo did. it's an invincibility... of one.

[@mandragoradravgis]

I suppose its true power lies in reality rather than narrative. Let me put it like this: there's dozens of all-powerful jutsu in the series, yet we still see Jounin and other high-reputation (and allegedly power) characters charge into battle with a simple intent to stab or throw a Kunai. Jumping at Kiba or Choji or any Hyuga like this strikes us all as stupid because - of course that no-name is going to get torn apart by gatsuga, meat tank or kaiten. 'basic attack' gets overpowered by 'big attack'. But with Izanagi time is reset and the basic attack never happened. The person comes out of their attack and then BAM. Stabbed in the back, through the heart. With the simple kunai. No time wasted making hand-seals, no convoluted battle tactics, no chakra expended. Just the single perfect attack made at the one time it really needed to be made. Because your opponent isn't Gaara with an invincible layer of armor and he doesn't regenerate like Naruto, Tsunade or Sakura. And every Uchiha potentially has access to it because it's not a complicated technique. It's like having the world's most expensive tank defeated by a simple landmine.

[@Tieshla]

I was drinking soda when you made that jab at episode 3, I nearly died choking.

[@Shocker7776]

For those that don't know, this video has changed the parts regarding Jerry, now using her correct pronouns and having the bits about her female avatar taken out. (A wise decision I think.) I'm glad he did honestly, those parts bothered me, and others, a bit and it seems better this way. But I really liked this video, very cool and very interesting!

[@austinallemand1882]

Still one of my favorite videos.

[@katarinagrimes8062]

Greetings Silver, it was not reall necessary to re-edit this vid . but it do appreciate the gesture. High paw .

[@callofseiiki]

you sir never stop amazing me you make me think and take my mind into a ride

[@thunderguyer]

He called Jerry a she.....it's nice seeing more people accepting that

[@KrazyStargazer]

Hmm so that was for real? I thought he...I mean she just didn't have another model~

[@thunderguyer]

Krazy Stargazer I THINK he realized that when he/she/ze gotten fanart of a female Pony OC(which he/she/ze uses on some of his videos)and the female human OC is made by a fan as well....fun fact,he is i think the only MLP content creator that is ok with rule 34 fanart

[@andrewkful]

+Cursedwind He specifically said "isn't that the guy who uses a female OC? Talk about gender identity issues!"

[@reflectivevagrant5531]

+Cursedwind I think this is the reason why he updated the video. Though whether it was out of fan ranting or simply Silver Quill choosing to re work this out of respect, I have no clue.

[@SpyroTheEternalNight]

+Cursedwind ... do i want to know what "ze" means?

[@princecrimsonrain]

Well, talking about Luna, the comics have stated that she had those feelings of jealousy and resentment, but it was an outside force that brought them to the surface, causing her to turn into Nightmare Moon. I think the Elements of Harmony just expelled this outside influence.

[@seismicink9148]

what if the cupal cadence loved up where siblings or something

[@somethingfunny5571]

Ah Mm What the actual heck

[@aaronaltman8065]

I am glad you edited this after you realized your mistake.

[@charlesrosenbaum2530]

Stop asking the same question, guys :p

[@Sammy_The_Umbreon]

Spider-Quill: With great power comes greaz jadajada

[@masterclockwork4436]

Please, no one give Silver Quill any flack over the video update, I doubt they new Jerry was transgender before posting the original and you can be certain this would be the version he would of done from the beginning. This isn't about being PC, this isn't about "respecting pronouns" it's about showing people the mutual respect you would want them to show you and respecting their wishes on how they're addressed.

[@scarysob]

You know after so long that this video has been up I have just now seen what is after the credits. XD

[@TatsurouKaos]

Umm... Is the entire change of the video for the update referring to Jerry as "she" instead of "he"?

[@hawkotaco7978]

The other intro about the whole "Girl OC" thing upset people so he changed it.

[@failbird105]

+TatsurouKaos yes, that and Silver removed a joke that some people may have thought of as making fun of Jerry for being Transgender

[@Nuinwing]

+HawkeyeSmurf MLP I find it odd...one offensive(sorta) joke should not matter,if the jokester starts making a lot of jokes about the same thing then it becomes a problem.

[@WyrdFayth]

+Nuinwing There's a difference between a joke that could potentially be taken the wrong way by a general group and a joke that very specifically targets a single person. There's also a difference between jokes that give people a hard time and jokes that invalidate core parts of one's identity. For instance, when Jerry called out Silver over comments he made about free will, one could take that as a jab, but ultimately it bears little consequence because it's just opinions about a cartoon. Silver's jab, on the other hand, was actually potentially harmful, and was made without proper knowledge of the situation, so once he was properly informed, he absolutely did the right thing in fixing it.

[@Carzeyday]

+EssGee Taking a shot at someone is taking a shot at them, no matter. Lucky for Poor old Jerry. Silver is clearly a bigger person.

[@melodiequinn2125]

4 years later, I finally twig that the video on the laptop is actually someone I now enjoy the content of :0

[@SpyroTheEternalNight]

a lot of these comments seem... wrong to me, somehow. it's like most people are basically saying _"it's nice that you edited your video so that it meets my standards instead of yours."_ like it's their job to sit here and police Silver Quill's videos, or something.

[@SpyroTheEternalNight]

+Spyro the Dragon incidentally Silver Quill's also made a few comments in the past that i personally kinda didn't appreciate either for various reasons, it's not like i just leave my conscience at the door when i watch YT videos, it's just that he's not saying anything _really_ out there so i just i figured i wouldn't comment on those videos, or about certain parts of them

[@SpyroTheEternalNight]

Zaron728 yeah but that's not what i was getting from the comments. it's like people were just focusing on the fact that he removed something that offended them, rather than the compassion _behind_ that decision. it felt like he could have theoretically just insincerely changed it as PR stunt and a lot of people probably wouldn't have thought much differently of it. i hope i'm wrong and i was just misunderstanding those comments, but that's really, really what people seemed to be implying.

[@ArtistLunatalia]

+Spyro the Dragon People are very quick to make a judgement about a situation when there is a risk or negative consequence. It's not necessarily a bad thing, as the same instinct can save your life, but it does make social interactions less pleasant sometimes. On one hand, some people enjoyed the joke and are frustrated to have content taken from them. In some ways, they see it as censorship. On the other hand, there are also individuals who dislike the LGTBQ movement and don't like seeing someone "cave" to opinions that oppose theirs. Combined, these reasons are a fairly touchy subject because of the whole social justice thing and whether or not it is actually just in the first place. It conflicts with their world view and the way that they are able to understand and come to terms with things they encounter in their lives. It's not something easily changed or manipulated because it's sort of... your emotional and logical center- it keeps you grounded. Silver's actual reasoning is not relevant to them because it is their own feelings that cause them problems, not his.

[@SpyroTheEternalNight]

Leafie the Great that makes sense. and i agree it's not always bad. just, doesn't always yield the best outcome, either. :p but i don't think you have to disagree with LGBT stuff to disagree with his decision. though for the record, notice that i never did actually gave my opinion on his decision, just the response to it.

[@ArtistLunatalia]

***** I know that you haven't given yours, which is actually why I went into such depth about the psychology. I suppose I saw your comment as sort of... a neutral question? You seemed curious, but you weren't really demanding an answer. But yes, it's often a barrier to having a accurate understanding of yourself and other people. It's why critical thinking is so important for people to learn, since critical thinking is what helps us to understand not only when something else is wrong, but when our own assumptions are also.

[@MainlyMortal]

the person laughing at the end must be damn good at acting because a laugh like that is hard to do

[@humrH2360]

I think I see what the change is... though I honestly thought it was funny.

[@failbird105]

+Laytonaster well it seems like quite a few people assumed Silver was bashing Jerry for being transgender with the joke about her being a man with a female OC

[@humrH2360]

Sounds like they'd be fun at parties.

[@TheKalimanMX]

if you want to see a cool brony i recommend Moliminous channel. he also has a female OC but he isnt a sperg about it,jerry will ****ing murder you if you draw it as a male! total bro! id have a beer with Molli anyday =)

[@zdaboo4832]

+TheKalimanMX uhhh Jerry very clearly puts in his fanart policies that, if the OC is drawn male, he will not feature it, and he knows he can do nothing to stop others from doing so, but he won't spotlight it

[@goldenheart9503]

Have you ever played Persona 5 or Persona 5 Royal? Cause that deals with forced change of bad people in a really well written way, I feel. Because not everyone can willingly change or feel bad for their actions. Sometimes others need to help them realize what they've done wrong or are doing wrong and that doesn't make them manipulators or just as bad as the ones they've changed. The Royal version especially helps the player understand what makes the heroes of that game (The Phantom Thieves) different from one of the major villains who does something similar to them with their methods of changing hearts. Where the line is drawn with what is or isn't morally acceptable for forced change.

[@twiggyjali]

I really don't see why you needed to change the opening. You weren't being offensive in the first place. The butthurt people saying you're "transphobic" clearly didn't watch and listen for context. I guess that happens when you're on the Special Snowflake Express, offended by everything in existence that doesn't adhere to your own misinformed opinion. Silver, you're a far kinder individual than I.

[@beepboop8992]

Nice shade of "orange", orange quill. ME AND CELESTIA HAD THE SAME REACTION! I fell down laughing XD

[@aiagn]

I didn't find that one moment offensive. *hides in liberal bunker*

[@jasontilford3397]

That laughter at the stinger...XD

[@ultimate512]

South Park Stunning and Brave. So the social justice warriors got to you. ROFL

[@phonixace6421]

+ultimate512 Quill is PC bro.

[@jeremydaugherty3152]

I thought the MLP universe was a bit terrifying because of the reform spell. The only prisons we hear about in the show (long term lockup not short term jail) is Discord turned into a statue, Luna banished to the moon, and Chrysalis sent to a mountain fortress (from comics). How does Equestrian handle criminals? Turn them into garden decorations? check. Exile? check. Heavy duty prison? Only if you are not a pony. no other prisoners except the swarm are shown in the prison. Maybe a quick casting of the reform spell turns you back into a happy singing dancing productive member of society. That would prevent the heartbreaking anguish that Princess Celestia felt while her sister was on the freaking moon. These mind altering spells may not be as rare as you would think. Consider Twilight was able to cast the need it want it spell from memory while under extreme mental duress. That shows practice and familiarity. Same with the altering of the parasprites eating habits. Is there a taskforce of enforcer ponys that goes around and ensures harmony? The Colts in Black perhaps?

[@AkuTenshiiZero]

Y'know, I had actually respected you for having the balls to take a crack at the LGBT lunatics. But of course you caved because they got their pitchforks and torches ready and threatened your view count. Er, I mean, because _equality_ and stuff.

[@MLPSilverQuill]

+AkuTenshiiZero If viewer count was my concern I would have given up a long time ago. I don't want to be the kind of person who uses humor to hurt people.

[@AkuTenshiiZero]

Yeah, you and every other vlogger with a Patreon. It's a little disingenuous when everyone that has money on the line spouts the same pro-majority, noble line of crap.

[@MLPSilverQuill]

+AkuTenshiiZero Such a cynical worldview. I'm always mystified by what you might enjoy in MLP. Believe whatever you'd like, but at the end of the day you can choose to keep watching or unsubscribe and walk away. There maybe other choices but dictating my actions isn't one of them.

[@AkuTenshiiZero]

MLP-Silver-Quill I wasn't the one that wrote the script, pal. Nor was I the one who pressured you to change it. You seem to be getting snippy with the wrong person.

[@MLPSilverQuill]

+AkuTenshiiZero I see the true issue here. You're demanding that others take a stand for how you view the world. You want to denounce me for caving in in the hopes that I'll in turn cave to your wishes. You'll be disappointed.

[@dumbpotato]

0:11 (bat: ya wanna by some death sticks?) (flutters: u dont wanna sell me death sticks) (bat: i dont wanna sell ya death sticks) (flutters: u wanna go home and rethink your life) (bat: ima go and rethink mah life) (flutters: ok goodbye) Hahahahahahaha

[@tabithayeshin9902]

Oh Silver. You are FAR from an angel.

[@arielrozas520]

Anyone else find it funny that when the tiny demons were fighting at the end one said "ow my hip"

[@kennethhescott4720]

"For she has made me think!" I laughed so much right there

[@A-Dino-Named-Mennany]

You are your own shoulder angel.

[@DemonicRemption]

I'm seeing this again 7 years later, and the fact that you don't have a shoulder angel makes me ask a few questions...

[@ShadyDoorags]

I must say, I agree with Silver in pretty much every aspect. Magic in Equestria is a tool. Any tool that is abuse or mishandled should have negative consequences. Also, for every action there should be an equal an opposite reaction. Something as powerful as changing the way the world works should effect the world in a big way.

[@Banchoking]

Glad more folks are addressing this.

[@WeegeeSlayer123]

You can influence ones mind, but you cant change it.

[@Gungelion]

I theorizes that cadence first used that spell to calm them down and then walked over to talk about the problem. If you pay attention that's the direction she was walking towards.

[@futabanarugonzalez3399]

Friendship is Magic, always

[@leafpon728]

wow its awesome you would change the video just to keep everyone happy, awesome!

[@naplockblubba5369]

My mustache Is perfectly coiffed

[@MCLegoboy]

Those Star Wars inserts were great! "Could you kill some kids?" XD

[@rolondoduque]

the ending with celestia had me rolling on my bed

[@raybrown2675]

"Im orange quill." trips "oh no im brused." lol.

[@BlittleMcNilsen]

I laughed so hard at the beginning. I was like: LOLOLOLOL, they're both fucking Devils because SilverQuill has no soul!

[@CuChulainn343]

+BlittleMcNilsen Well if you watch nightmare night you find out he's the antichrist/anticelestia

[@Woodsstories]

You're a swell guy, changing that Mr. Quill

[@cpcoultertweedles7216]

My main issue with the vampire fruit bat issue can be summed up in one question: what did Twilight expect them to eat? Either she forces an entire flock of bats to starve to death, or we get a rehash of the parisprites and they eat something that could be worse for ponies

[@cyberalpha4200]

I kinda think that the reforming spell and the love spell are based on a simple principle: they basically allow the targets to understand the error in what they are doing. For example it might have proven that the argument they were having was futile...(it happens a lot of times) It would have made Discord understand how badly the other ponies were feeling because of his chaos.

[@albussr1589]

THE HOBBIT REFERENCE!!! *screams happily*